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The Toronto resident is aware oddsmakers have cast him as an extreme long shot in a fight taking place in Philadelphia, Garcia’s hometown. And the undefeated Garcia is so sure of victory Nov. 12 that he has already scheduled his next fight — a big-money showdown against fellow welterweight headliner Keith Thurman in March.

But the 27-year-old Vargas insists he’s not just a speed bump on Garcia’s road to boxing super stardom, and says he’ll enter the bout both unburdened by expectation and driven to silence boxing observers who doubt him. And he’s aware of the stakes next Saturday, especially if he upsets Garcia.

“This could change my life, my trainer’s life, my family’s life,” says Vargas, who’s 25-2-1 as a pro. “It’ll put a stop to everyone overlooking me all the time. Everyone will know my name. There’ll be no doubt that I belong in the A-class of boxers.”

The retirement of megastar Floyd Mayweather left several welterweights fighting over the empire he left behind. While longtime Mayweather nemesis Manny Pacquiao remains active, most succession plans focus on a trio of unbeaten Americans: Garcia, Thurman and Errol Spence Jr.

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In April 2015, Spence defeated Vargas via fourth-round TKO. That bout marked Vargas’ second career loss but his promoter, Lee Baxter, says travelling on short notice to face a world-class opponent earned Vargas respect among top-tier fighters. So when Garcia needed a foil for a tuneup bout before facing Thurman, his management team called Baxter and signed Vargas.

Sam Vargas lands a left in a bout against Errol Spence Jr. in the spring of 2015. Vargas gets his big shot next Saturday in Philly. (Elsa / GETTY IMAGES)

But Baxter expects a different outcome this time, given Vargas enters this bout following a full training camp and determined to prove a point.

“Style-wise (Garcia’s management) thinks this is an easier fight, and it makes Danny look good,” Baxter says. “But Sam’s defying the odds. He was never supposed to be here, but he’s a kid who was tough as s--- and wasn’t saying no, and he’s willing to die in the ring.”

Early betting odds peg Vargas as a 16-to-1 underdog, but his camp says those numbers don’t reflect the half-degree of separation among elite prize fighters.

Vargas and Garcia aren’t friends but they’re not strangers, and they’ve even sparred once. And since 2013 Vargas has been coached by Billy Briscoe, who was coaching at a Philadelphia gym when a 10-year-old Danny Garcia showed up for his first boxing lesson. Briscoe worked closely with Garcia’s dad, Angel, in the gym and even served as a cutman in several of Garcia’s pro bouts.

That kind of closeness, Briscoe says, gives him insights into Garcia’s in-ring habits and will help Vargas solve him.

“There’s certain things (Garcia) does unorthodox, but he does it for a reason and I understand,” Briscoe says. “Certain people criticize. ‘He don’t do this right. He don’t do that right.’ Yeah, well (he’s) 32-0, right? I don’t sell him short. (But) knowing the skill set the way I do, and knowing Sam’s skill set the way I do, gives me a decisive advantage.”

Reached at his gym in Philadelphia after a mid-week workout, Garcia said whatever advantage Briscoe provides wouldn’t be enough to topple him.

“It’s different from the outside looking in,” says Garcia, who has won world titles in two weight classes. “A lot of people think they have the game plan, but once they’re in there with me it’s a whole different story.”

Next Saturday’s card airs live on Spike TV as part of the Premier Boxing Champions series, boxing mogul Al Haymon’s expensive and long-running attempt to broaden the sport’s mainstream audience.

The planned Garcia-Thurman bout would likely air on network TV, giving the winner a massive platform from which to leap into a clash with Spence. A Vargas win on Saturday might not derail Garcia-Thurman, but could set Vargas up for paydays later.

A similar scenario unfolded in 2006, when Argentine welterweight Carlos Baldomir upset Zab Judah before Judah’s scheduled date with Mayweather. While Judah and Mayweather fought anyway, Baldomir went from journeyman to HBO headliner. That summer he defeated Arturo Gatti in a cable TV main event before earning a career-high $1.6 million against Mayweather on pay-per-view.

For Vargas, emulating Baldomir means beating a world champ with hometown support and a big left hook.

“I know we’re going to get hit hard, so we’ll weather the storm,” Vargas says. “I know I got this . . . I feel positive. I feel good energy.”

DANNY GARCIA vs. SAM VARGAS

WHAT: Welterweight non-title bout

WHEN: Nov. 12, 9 p.m.

WHERE: Temple University, Philadelphia

TV: Spike TV

DANNY GARCIA

BORN: Philadelphia

LIVES: Philadelphia

AGE: 28

HEIGHT: 5-foot-8½

REACH: 68½ inches

RECORD: 32-0 (18 KO)

TITLES: Current WBC world welterweight champion. Former WBC and WBA world super-lightweight champion.

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